NEW YORK (WCBS 880) — The notorious federal jail that housed Jeffrey Epstein has reportedly transferred out all its detainees Tuesday.
The last few inmates in the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan had Tuesday court appearances, after which they were scheduled to be transferred to Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Center, NBC New York reported.
The Department of Justice announced back in August that it would be closing the MCC — at least temporarily — after its badly deteriorated state culminated with Epstein’s suicide two years ago. The closure would allow the DOJ to address poor security and infrastructure issues with the building, the agency said at the time.
Once billed as the most secure jail in the country, the MCC has held a slew of high-profile criminals, including Mexican drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzmán, Ponzi scheme fraudster Bernie Madoff and Mafia boss John Gotti.
The DOJ had been winding down its inmate count in recent months. By the time of the agency’s August announcement, there were 233 inmates — down from its typical population of roughly 600.
A DOJ spokesperson told NBC New York that Manhattan inmates have mainly been transferred to Brooklyn’s MDC, though some have been moved to other facilities. Much of the staff at the MCC has also moved the MDC, as well.
It was not immediately clear when, or if, the MCC will reopen.
"The Department remains committed to ensuring that every facility in the federal prison system is not only safe and secure, but also provides people in custody with the resources and programs they need to make a successful return to society after they have served their time," the DOJ said in a statement to the station.
The Assiciated Press contributed to this report.
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